The majority of individuals have type 2 diabetes, where the body either doesn’t produce sufficient insulin or is less effective in utilizing it. In contrast, type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system targets the islet cells in the pancreas. While islet transplants can be a treatment option, there is a shortage of donors to meet the increasing need.
Additionally, recipients must take immune-suppressing medications to avoid rejecting the transplanted tissue. A 25-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes began making her insulin less than three months after the successful treatment of the condition. She got a transplant of unique stem cells taken from her own body.
After over a year since the transplant, the woman can now have sweets and enjoy eating everything—especially hotpot. James Shapiro, a transplant surgeon and researcher at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, describes the surgery’s results as amazing. He says the procedure has completely reversed the patient’s diabetes, who previously needed a lot of insulin .
In April, another group of scientists reported on the successful transplantation of insulin-producing islets into the liver of a 59-year-old man with type 2 diabetes . They obtained the islets from the patient’s own reprogrammed stem cells. Since then, the patient has stopped taking insulin.
This new study follows the results of the abovementioned study. However, these studies are among a handful of pioneering trials using stem cells to treat .